Sir Edward Dering

Sir Edward’s portrait was painted by Dobson, probably in 1642. He had raised a royalist cavalry regiment at the start of the war but by all accounts, soldiering wasn’t really his thing. He was in ill health before hostilities began and wasn’t too enamoured of the thought of life on campaign. He subsequently resigned his commission in 1643 and died in June 1644. You can see from his world weary look that he wasn’t not too keen when he sat for Dobson. He wrote a book, Discourse of Proper Sacrifice in 1640 that was published shortly before he died. He had long been keen on the King’s church reforms and the thrust of the text was his hope for peace and the return of the King to Parliament. He wrote “In the meantime, I dare wish that he would make less value of such men both lay and clergy who, by running on the Canterbury pace, have made our breaches so wide and take less delight in the specious way of cathedral devotions”

Sir Edward stares into the distance with a well furrowed brow and his plain linen band and understated strings suggest he’s in his campaign clothes. It’s also been creased somehow since it was last washed and (presumably) pressed The pale taffeta scarf is edged with a small amount of lace too. The plain linen cuffs on his shirt look like they are stained from action and a black or dark brown doublet will also hide the dirt. The turn-back cuffs on the doublet show a red lining. Even the sword belt is a plain serviceable one. This picture hangs in the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welsh in Brecon

The Military Discipline Plate 5

From The Military Discipline wherein is Martially Showne the Order for Drilling the Musket and Pike, published by Thomas Jenner, London 1642. This is plate five of the drill book published just before the wars broke out. I’ve no reason to suspect this is anything other than portraits of the trained bandes of London at their postures. These guys are dressed in high status clothes, braided breeches and slashed sleeves. Not the kind of clobber you would wear to take the the field.

The style of the plates is very similar to a drill book published in Europe in 1607 with engravings by Jacques de Gheyn. In fact there are a number of european and english drill books starting from de Gheyn, using exactly the same poses but every time updating the clothes.

More rear views here, number 13 is wearing a montero cap and interestingly number 16’s coat has no back seam, and is slit to the waist, something that would only really work with a well fulled broadcloth that wouldn’t fray easily along the edge. 15’s coat in contrast looks like it is hemmed.

This is number five in the series. I took the photos from the original book.

The Military Discipline Plate 4

From The Military Discipline wherein is Martially Showne the Order for Drilling the Musket and Pike, published by Thomas Jenner, London 1642. This is plate four of the drill book published just before the wars broke out. I’ve no reason to suspect this is anything other than portraits of the trained bandes of London at their postures. These guys are dressed in high status clothes, braided breeches and slashed sleeves. Not the kind of clobber you would wear to take the the field. We are still crunching through musket drill, broken down into all the separate moves that would most probably be thrown away on the battlefield. All back views this time. Notice from the legend that numbers 11 and 12 are using a ‘charge’ to introduce powder down their barrels. Victorian wisdom always suggested these bandolier containers were called apostles.  This is number four in the series. I took the photos from the original book.

 

The Military Discipline Plate 3

From The Military Discipline wherein is Martially Showne the Order for Drilling the Musket and Pike, published by Thomas Jenner, London 1642. This is plate three of the drill book published just before the wars broke out. I’ve no reason to suspect this is anything other than portraits of the trained bandes of London at their postures. These guys are dressed in high status clothes, braided breeches and slashed sleeves. Not the kind of clobber you would wear to take the the field. Some fancy garters on display here too. This is number three in the series. I took the photos from the original book.

The Military Discipline Plate 2

From The Military Discipline wherein is Martially Showne the Order for Drilling the Musket and Pike, published by Thomas Jenner, London 1642. This is plate two from the back of a drill book published just before the wars broke out. I’ve no reason to suspect this is anything other than portraits of the trained bandes of London at their postures. These guys are dressed in high status clothes, braided breeches and slashed sleeves. Check out the fancy hose on the musketeer in picture 8. Not the kind of clobber you would wear to take the the field. This is second in the series. I took the photos from the original book.

The Military Discipline Plate 1

From The Military Discipline wherein is Martially Showne the Order for Drilling the Musket and Pike, published by Thomas Jenner, London 1642. This is plate one of a drill book published just before the wars broke out. I’ve no reason to suspect this is anything other than portraits of the trained bandes of London at their postures. These guys are dressed in high status clothes, braided breeches and slashed sleeves. Not the kind of clobber you would wear to take the the field. This is first in a series. I took the photos from the book.

Anima’dversions of Warre

or, A militarie magazine of the truest rules, and ablest instructions, for the managing of warre Composed, of the most refined discipline, and choice experiments that these late Netherlandish, and Swedish warres have produced. By Robert Ward printed in London 1639. A mammoth tome listing everything Mr Ward thought would be worth including to help anyone who wanted to wage war. I’ve skipped over all the descriptions, skimmed through the pike & musket formations and singled out four images of chaps engaged in nefarious activities for your enjoyment.

This first man in a coat, hat and falling band is setting light to a fuse to blow a mine laid beneath a fort. As it says in the text: “This kinde of undermining hath beene very Anciently used both by the Greekes, and Romans, and of late daies by the Hollander, whereby they have much annoyed their Enemies, and blowne up their Out-Workes” I would definitely be annoyed.

This fellow is making grenadoes out of canvas bags. He’s wearing a doublet and closely fitting breeches. As it says : “Some grenadoes are made of canvass with divers Pistoll Barrells charged with Powder and bulletts and covered over.” Nasty

These guys are making more grenadoes out of solid pots. They are wearing nicely tailored doublets, wide hats and close fitting breeches. The man on the left is putting his foot forward so we can see how well made his shoes are.

This last fellow is about to set off an array of powder pots designed for use in a battle. The text describes these: “These Engines are of use to  discomfit an Enemy in a pitcht Battell, the manner of framing them, is according to this following Description: there must bee prepared, either of Earth, or of timed Lattin, the Mouths of them are to be foure inches Diameter, and the height of them sixe, on either side of these is a hollow quill formed of Earth or sodred of Lattin, about the bignesse of a Tobacco-pipe; these are to goe from the toppe of these Pottes just to the bottome to convey the the traine of Powder to the Touch-hole at the bottome” I’m only slightly concerned about the disembodied hands on the other two fuses. Maybe they were removed to protect their identities?

Give Yr Rest to Yr Musket

A posture from The Military Discipline wherein is Martially Showne the Order for Drilling the Musket and Pike, published by Thomas Jenner, London 1642. This copy of the book is adorned with nineteen engraved plates showing musketeers and pikemen in various drill postures and modes of dress. This musketeer is clad in montero cap, a doublet with slashed sleeves, plain falling band (or perhaps shirt collar), tapered breeches with shoes and hose folded down over what are presumably a pair of garters. He’s sporting some nice ribbon bows on his breeches and shoes too. This is very much the ‘Trained Band’ look, for the weekend soldier not really something you’d see on the field of battle.

Here’s a closer version. Notice the match he is holding between his fingers is alight, ready to fire his musket.

Colonel Francis Hammond

Painted by an unknown artist, Francis Hammond was a career soldier who had fought on the Continent and even though he was getting on, in the Civil War, noteably leading the royalist Forlorn Hope at Edgehill in 1642. We have already seen his brother, Robert Hammond who was involved in the Kentish Uprising.

He’s clad in what looks like full armour with gilt rivets, though often this was something that was reserved for portraits rather than something you’d wear on the field. His scarf is nicely embroidered and fringed and his falling band, though plain has very fine hems and a nicely knotted bandstring tassel. The portrait is part of the Canterbury Museums Collection.

Captain Robert “One Eye” Charnock

Painted sometime before 1650 by an unknown artist, One Eye (as he was presumably known to his friends) fought on the royalist side during the war and reputedly lost an eye at the Siege of Lathom. Consequently his roguish gaze has nothing to do with his character and everything to do with his war service.

 

He is bareheaded (with a thin comb-over) in this portrait and is wearing a leather lined gorget around his throat over a brown doublet that is decorated with some kind of cord piping around his waist echoing an earlier fashion of decorated points that would originally have connected to the breeches. His falling band is decorated with a thin edging of bone lace and an understated set of strings. The picture hangs in the Astley Hall Museum, Chorley.